THE beleaguered Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday handed over 21 vehicles and substantial cash donations to the Zanu-PF Women’s League and its affiliate, Young Women for Economic Development (Young Women4ED), in a bid to bolster the continuity of government and party-led economic development initiatives.
Six of the vehicles were allocated to the top leadership of the Women’s League, while the remaining ten were distributed across Zimbabwe’s ten provinces to support grassroots programmes and enhance the league’s outreach and mobilisation efforts. In addition, the President handed over US$500,000 to the Women’s League, to be equally shared among the provinces for various empowerment and economic development projects.
Young Women4ED also benefited from five vehicles and a cash injection of US$100 000. The vehicles and funds were donated by businessman and philanthropist Wicknell Chivayo to strengthen government and party economic initiatives.
Zanu-PF Secretary for Women’s Affairs, Mabel Chinomona, praised the gesture, noting that it would sustain the party’s programmes and grassroots mobilization. “This gesture of vehicles and cash will go a long way in ensuring that the party’s programmes continue, as well as in mobilising grassroots support,” she said. “As the Women’s League, we would like to thank President Mnangagwa for continuing to support us as women. We, in turn, will continue to support our President, party, and the Government.”
Young Women4ED chairperson, Tatenda Mavetera, said the donation had significantly empowered the affiliate’s work. “The vehicles have empowered us to conduct our work, which we have dubbed ‘fishers of men,’ a programme aimed at mobilising grassroots support for the party,” she said. “We have also been empowered with cash, which will be used in various projects such as poultry, piggery, and goat schemes.”
President Mnangagwa has previously handed over vehicles to Zanu-PF Central Committee members, as well as tipper trucks and front-end loaders for youth and persons with disabilities, as part of efforts to coordinate economic development activities across all provinces. The latest initiative further reinforces the government’s commitment to supporting party structures and facilitating economic empowerment at both national and grassroots levels.
Source – The Chronicle
